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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Kate BeckhamORCiD, Dr James ConnollyORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Summary: Classical studies have focused on the role that individual regulators play in controlling virulence gene expression. An emerging theme, however, is that bacterial metabolism also plays a key role in this process. Our previous work identified a series of proteins that were implicated in the regulation of virulence. One of these proteins was AdhE, a bi-functional acetaldehyde-CoA dehydrogenase and alcohol dehydrogenase. Deletion of its gene (adhE) resulted in elevated levels of extracellular acetate and a stark pleiotropic phenotype: strong suppression of the Type Three Secretion System (T3SS) and overexpression of non-functional flagella. Correspondingly, the adhE mutant bound poorly to host cells and was unable to swim. Furthermore, the mutant was significantly less virulent than its parent when tested in vivo, which supports the hypothesis that attachment and motility are central to the colonization process. The molecular basis by which AdhE affects virulence gene regulation was found to be multifactorial, involving acetate-stimulated transcription of flagella expression and post-transcriptional regulation of the T3SS through Hfq. Our study reveals fascinating insights into the links between bacterial physiology, the expression of virulence genes, and the underlying molecular mechanism mechanisms by which these processes are regulated. © 2014 The Authors. Molecular Microbiology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Author(s): Beckham KSH, Connolly JPR, Ritchie JM, Wang D, Gawthorne JA, Tahoun A, Gally DL, Burgess K, Burchmore RJ, Smith BO, Beatson SA, Byron O, Wolfe AJ, Douce GR, Roe AJ
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Molecular Microbiology
Year: 2014
Volume: 93
Issue: 1
Pages: 199-211
Print publication date: 01/07/2014
Online publication date: 21/05/2014
Acceptance date: 17/05/2014
Date deposited: 23/09/2019
ISSN (print): 0950-382X
ISSN (electronic): 1365-2958
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/mmi.12651
DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12651
PubMed id: 24846743
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